美国政府决定从8月4日开始，停止施行已经两年，禁止乘客带普通打火机上飞机的政策。美国运输部认为，在乘客登机前搜索他们身上是否携带打火机，根本是浪费时间。 2001年当鞋子炸弹客芮德意图在从巴黎飞往迈阿密的班机上，用火柴引燃藏在鞋子里的炸弹後，美国政府在国会的坚持之下，终於宣布了禁带打火机上机的命令。 ) J& _2 {! D2 M: e1 ~ y 6 U; z- o d9 P$ d" {6 R2 J4 k6 R
Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US& ]" \+ n, _2 R
US authorities will no longer enforce a two-year-old ban against taking cigarette lighters on planes because searching passengers wasted time and did not improve aviation security, the New York Times reports. * [! N0 K1 h) W6 \" Y+ n \' W d: I8 N : S# p" T* h% B( K, V4 K4 N/ SThe ban on lighters was ordered by US lawmakers after a passenger, Richard Reid, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami. 8 b9 m) y! `+ ^3 @! J/ u( d1 q, }2 E1 c- G6 `6 T4 z, c" x
Reid, known as the "shoe bomber", had used matches to try to ignite explosives concealed in his shoe and is currently serving a life sentence for trying to blow up the transatlantic flight.- e3 f* `; _. m+ B9 I7 O
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.1 }: }7 d2 [4 O O# ]' w" c0 v
' l3 ^3 n$ p9 h. n" H0 x8 n! u9 g, wUS Transport Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley says the ban on lighters did not significantly enhance security because small batteries could be used to detonate a bomb.# L* h# t0 k) z* G! E
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.# H( u- W E4 T& Z6 |1 O# ]" i
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.2 l. p: i9 H* x: Q: A9 g
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."+ \7 j, V" ?. v$ P
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters. ( @2 B) u' ~; @; a6 X9 Q+ Q1 ] C" O- D; Q5 {4 d/ K. h
The New York Times says some 22,000 lighters a day are collected by security officers at airports across the United States and disposing of the confiscated lighters has cost about $US4 million a year.
